Martha Stewart

  • Apply creativity and expertise to transform your work into an art form.

Background

Martha Stewart is a lifestyle guru, and her name has become synonymous with attention to detail in crafting and home-making. She has single-handedly pioneered much of the industries and media outlets that now cater to the public’s interest in cooking, entertaining, and home decorating such as HGTV and the Food Network. Her fame and fortune is built around her ability to inspire her fans through her knowledge and taste. Your lesson will be to figure out how to apply creativity and expertise to elevate your work into an art form.
Goals: Be recognized as an authority; gain visibility; create works of art; teach best practices; elevate standards; sensitize others to the beauty of details.
Governing Principle: There is a best way of doing things.

Values

Over-achieve whenever possible. Influence with thought leadership. Thoughtful flourishes elevate competent work. Impressive user experience builds brand and customer loyalty. Determination drives desired results. Planning and organization are the key to over-achieving. Focus on short-term. Value processes and methods over individual judgment.

Learning Objectives

Developing pride in expertise
Paying attention to detail to create superlative products
Excelling at turning the ordinary into the extraordinary
Creating elaborate and innovative presentations
Designing instruction and teaching in an entertaining manner
Promoting talents and craft
Managing public persona and personal brand

Traits

Preppy, driven, perfectionist, artistic, teacher, creative, inventive, persevering, hard-nosed, demanding, self-promoting, detail-oriented

Biography

Blessed with smarts, looks, a strong work ethic, and a fierce determination to lift herself from her working class beginnings, Stewart enjoyed success early in life. At age 15, she began modeling, appearing in her share of television and magazine ads. She continued modeling while she earned a degree at Barnard College, double majoring in art history and history. Shortly after graduation, she worked on Wall Street where she became the highest paid stock broker in her firm. Not long after leaving Wall Street, she started a catering business that specialized in gourmet menus and elaborate presentations, establishing her as the caterer to hire in wealthy Westport CT.

Her successes continued. Stewart’s first foray into mass media was the best-selling book, Entertaining, which was followed up by a succession of best sellers. She ventured into television with a Thanksgiving special for PBS. This laid the foundation for what was to become her lifestyle empire which later grew to include magazines, books, a radio show, and television programming. The name Martha Stewart grew into a brand that defined good taste in cooking and decorating, and her name is now licensed to retailers, such as Kmart, to sell home goods.

Today, although controversial, Stewart remains surprisingly popular despite a stint in prison for insider trading. She remains the Chairman and CEO of Martha Stewart Omnimedia, a public company that was once worth over $1B. When reflecting on Stewart’s successes, we need only look at the lifestyle content that now exists on television, magazines, books, and the web. There would be a lot less if it were not for Martha Stewart.

Questions:

  • How can I get more visibility for myself, my team, and my function?
  • How can I turn the ordinary into an art form?
  • What is the best way to do this thing?
  • How do I make this work product professional, polished, and perfect?
  • What do I need to do be the thought leader in this area?
  • What assignments will boost my reputation?
  • How can I extend my reputation into a brand?

Behaviors

Focus on planning and execution – Stress the importance of planning and execution, getting details and results right. You need to be extremely organized in order to pull off a high level of perfection. Think and plan several steps ahead. “Rehearse” until everyone knows the sequenced of events and their roles, expectations, and cues by heart so that little management is required when your group actually has to perform.

Micromanage – Demand perfection in details impacting user experience. Check progress and assume control as necessary.

Ask for forgiveness rather than permission – Stewart did not get where she is today by being shy! She is where she is today because of sheer determination and not taking “no” for an answer. Don’t ask for permission to do any of the activities above. Assume that any activity that captures your interest is valid for you to be working on.

Toot your own horn – Let everyone know what you can do and what you accomplished. Always focus on the positives of your work and your abilities. Moreover, volunteer for opportunities that elevate your visibility.

Be an artist – Turn the boring into an extravaganza. Use ordinary objects in new ways and never miss an opportunity to create a masterpiece. If needed, take shortcuts or use fakes. You want the appearance of artistry rather than real art.

Talk more than listen – Stewart does not have a lot of time because she is focused on self-promotion (essential for thought leaders). Act more diva-like – people are there to serve you, not the other way around. You will control the conversation, getting what you want out of it first and being direct about what you want. While you speak a lot, you do so to instruct and inform, not to speak for the sake of getting attention.

Establish rapport selectively – You will work hard to establish rapport with people that interest you and that have an interest in you. You do this by giving them recognition and supporting their efforts.

Be overworked and overscheduled – Do not let opportunities slip by; you want to be involved in as much as possible so you can put your unique mark on it. Being busy and running late for meetings is symbolic of your status. It’s okay to let others wait for you.

Role Play Situations

Your role in a meeting is to ensure that if matters concern you or your group that you sound authoritative, in control, and important. Martha is often double-booked and late. Allow yourself to be as well. If you are limited in time, attend only those portions of the meeting that concern you. Establish your presence as the authority in the meeting by taking up a lot of space and sitting and standing tall. Take control of the meeting and facilitate, even if you are late. Lead the search for answers and improvement. Be very pedagogical, perhaps even pedantic.
Your goal is to inform and impress. Your presentations are designed to meet the needs of your audience, while impressing them with your knowledge and insight. You may also perform a demonstration or provide samples to encourage audience interaction. You want your audience to come away changed from attending your presentation. Your presentations will also be equally impressive for their crispness. To help you develop crisp business presentations, you may want to review the work of presentation gurus like Guy Kawasaki, Nancy Duarte, and Garr Reynolds. Concentrate on your audience and allot ample time for questions. Provide one page executive summaries to your audience. Ensure your materials are perfect and communicate your brand.

To method-act the persona
and circumvent the ego

To Get into Character

Dress – Stewart’s attire ranges from preppy to elegant, dressing appropriately for the venue or situation. Although she obviously takes great care and pride in her appearance even when working outdoors or in the kitchen, her appearance seems effortless and understated. While you are being Stewart, you will need to pay careful attention to your personal grooming and your clothing without being flashy or overly fashionable. Try wearing button down shirts with or without a sweater, khakis, and/or flats.

Speech – Be direct with the people you work with. Facts are more important than feelings, and you don’t have time to waste on hurt feelings or other trivialities.

Diet – Eat well while you are Martha, nutritious and tasty homemade food preferred. Review her recipes and plan out a week’s worth of meals. Obtain ingredients and do the prep work in advance so your work during the week will be minimal. This is to practice being very well organized.

Tableware – Even if you are eating alone, use your nice glasses, dishes, and silverware. Who are you saving them for? You deserve to eat your well-crafted meal on a well-crafted setting.

Activities to Conduct Alone

Perfect your craft – You should start your time as Stewart figuring out how to perfect your expertise in a particular field. Review your strengths and interests for candidates. This can be a narrow skill or best practice; the point is to become preeminent in your company. Some examples are creating an investment analysis spreadsheet, a marketing plan template, or a lesson planning guide. The goal is to create something that can be used throughout your company and for which you can be seen as the “go to person.” Apply your creativity to make your craft extraordinary. Stewart is an obsessive workaholic, so you may need to hone your skills or achieve perfection in your spare time.

Beautify your space – Use fresh flowers or houseplants to beautify your space or surround yourself with your favorite items or other beautiful decorations.  You should create an appealing space to work and live. Life is short and it’s the simple luxuries that make it worth living. Here you can use your creativity and repurpose fabrics, pillows, art, and anything item that catches your fancy.

Monitor trends and best ways of doing things – Follow trade journals and experts to keep abreast of what others are doing in your particular field. Research intriguing ideas that resonate with you and ingratiate yourself to those you want to learn from. Apply and experiment what you learn to hone your expertise. Try different ways of performing your craft. Learn from first-hand experience.

Develop a personal brand – Your brand should go hand in hand with your craft. Using your list of strengths, determine which ones you want to develop and promote. Write a short narrative (elevator speech) that describes your unique talents and skills and captures the essence of who you want to be. Tape this some place where you’ll see it every day and make a point of living your brand every day. Review your workload to determine how it fits into your brand. How can you change your work to fit your image? What other work should you be doing?

Project your image – Once you have figured out your brand, determine how you can broadcast the relevant image. Take a look at your work space and ask yourself what Martha Stewart would think of it. Get rid of clutter, get organized, and create an elegant but homey work space. Buy fresh flowers or plants to decorate your desk. Take a good look at your email format and other communications. Create templates that communicate your brand.

Activities to Conduct with Others

Promote your brand – Stewart is a promoter of herself and her craft. Like her, make sure that your function is valued and your group develops an esprit de corps. If you don’t have one already, develop a unique logo and coordinating look and feel for all your marketing collateral. Get feedback on what that logo says about you and revisit the process until you are satisfied. Use every opportunity you can to elevate the visibility of what you do, making sure that what you do is crisp and highly polished.

Teach your craft – Stewart’s media empire is essentially a collection of how-to articles, books, and videos. Begin sharing your enthusiasm for what you do. Share what you know generously. Volunteer to teach others whether at work, via the internet, or your local library. When you see someone in your group who is good at something, point it out. Give them opportunities to hone and highlight that skill. Your hope is that they will take pride in it the way you do.

Learn from setbacks – Stewart served a prison term for insider trading. Many thought that her company was finished as a result of her indiscretion and revelations about her diva-like nature. Some observers of her court case thought her prison term was less about her crime and more about her character. When sentenced, Stewart quickly and quietly went to jail to put the incident behind her. Much to the public’s surprise, she behaved admirably in jail, winning over her jailors as well as fellow inmates. Once released, she returned to her company, showing a more human and ironic side to the public. Since then, many of the public’s ill feelings towards her have dissipated. As you play Stewart, remember that setbacks are never fatal and they can help you become a better person. Review your past for a major setback. Determine what caused it and what you learned from it and what you might still need to learn. Discuss this failing and its aftermath with those close to you, with the goal of learning how to improve. Talking about your failings will also help you develop a thicker skin, like Martha’s.

Craft an alliance or friendship with an unlikely candidate – Martha and Snoop Dogg are best friends and collaborators. Who would have thought?  Is there an acquaintance of yours who isn’t anything like you who you can learn more about and begin to develop more of a friendship?  Becoming friends with people outside our usual circles can be a great learning experience.  Take some time to consider the people in your life who you barely know and make the point of learning more about them.

 

Additional Resources

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Role play Instructions

Page through the profiles and read the summary sections with the lessons, goals, principles, traits, and values. Find one that “speaks” to you or that has a lesson you could use at the moment. Liking the person or sharing that person’s values is irrelevant, though it may require slightly more effort on your part. Keep in mind that you control the experience and can adopt as much or as little as you feel comfortable doing. Most of the changes you will be making will be internal, in your thought processes and resultant behaviors, and you are not expected to impersonate someone outwardly like you would for Halloween or a play. Explanation of sections:
  • Demeanor – This section describes clothing, speech, and eating habits to adopt. The purpose of this is to break out of your routine and ingrained patterns of behavior. If you start the day eating or dressing differently, you will be more likely to act differently. Use your judgment to determine the extent of the changes needed to change your habits without being disruptive.
  • Activities Alone – Conduct these activities first as they are meant to help you get into character and better understand that person’s values and motivation. They are also indicative of activities the character performs on a regular basis. Again, use your judgment regarding which activities make sense for you, but please make sure you do at least some.
  • Activities with Others – Again, choose which activities pertain most to your situation. These are an excellent opportunity to practice being your persona and solicit advice from others on “What would this person do?”
  • Behaviors – While activities are one-off or have a concrete start and end, the behaviors and questions should be ongoing when you are enacting the profile.
It should take you somewhere between 1-3 weeks to master the character. We recommend that you plan on two weeks, and continue if you need more time to fully internalize the persona. Thinking like the persona or exhibiting their behaviors without thinking are signs that you have internalized the skills. We encourage you to tell the people you are with what you are doing so that they can help you master the character and provide feedback. It’s perfectly acceptable to ask others what they think that person would do. If you have trouble getting started or feel stuck, just ask yourself “What would this person do?

Instructions

Here are some suggestions for using the icons. Click on the i icon to open this box again.

One-on-Conversations

The icons are useful when conducting any kind of port mortem or difficult conversations, like project, progress, or performance reviews. 

Each person chooses a card that reflects the perspective he wants the other to hear. One person shows the card, and, together, both brainstorm the feedback that the persona would give. Repeat using the second person’s chosen card. Both compare and contrast the feedback and agree on lessons going forward. If deadlocked or otherwise desired, they can choose a third card and perform the feedback again

Expectations Setting

Use the icons at the start of project or with a team to understand each person’s default behaviors and identify potential conflicts.  

Each person chooses three cards: one that best represents her, one that she would most like to work with on the project, and one she would least like to work with. Each discusses her picks and agrees to actions for working together.

Team building

The goals are to create awareness of missing skills and traits on the team, use the personalities to fill those gaps, and to improve team creativity by role-playing other perspectives.

Review the cards to determine which personas the team needs but is lacking. Conducting the expectations setting exercise first may help. Create virtual seats for these leaders and assign team members the responsibilities for representing these perspectives.

 

Brainstorming

During brainstorming, choose cards at random and generate ideas as the leader personas. Alternately, team members can act as the leaders during the meetings.

Meeting feedback

At the end of the meeting, each participant, including the meeting leader, chooses a card, either randomly or deliberately, and takes turns providing feedback in the manner of the personality. Alternately, the meeting leader can choose cards at random and ask participants for feedback in that leader’s perspective.

Personal Development (method acting)

1. Look through the profiles and read the summary sections with the lessons, goals, principles, traits, and values. Find one that “speaks” to you or that has a lesson you could use at the moment. Liking the person or sharing that person’s values is irrelevant, though it may require slightly more effort on your part.

2.  Keep in mind that you control the experience and can adopt as much or as little as you feel comfortable doing. Most of the changes you will be making will be internal, in your thought processes and resultant behaviors, and you are not expected to impersonate someone outwardly like you would for Halloween or a play.

3. Explanation of sections:

  • To get into character– This section describes clothing, speech, and eating habits to adopt. The purpose of this is to break out of your routine and ingrained patterns of behavior. If you start the day eating or dressing differently, you will be more likely to act differently. Use your judgment to determine the extent of the changes needed to change your habits without being disruptive.
  • Activities Alone – Conduct these activities first as they are meant to help you get into character and better understand that person’s values and motivation. They are also indicative of activities the character performs on a regular basis. Again, use your judgment regarding which activities make sense for you, but please make sure you do at least some.
  • Activities with Others – Again, choose which activities pertain most to your situation. These are an excellent opportunity to practice being your persona and solicit advice from others on “What would this person do?”
  • Behaviors – While activities are one-off or have a concrete start and end, the behaviors and questions should be ongoing when you are enacting the profile.

4. It should take you somewhere between 1-3 weeks to master the character. We recommend that you plan on two weeks, and continue if you need more time to fully internalize the persona. Thinking like the persona or exhibiting their behaviors without thinking are signs that you have internalized the skills. We encourage you to tell the people you are with what you are doing so that they can help you master the character and provide feedback. It’s perfectly acceptable to ask others what they think that person would do.

5. If you have trouble getting started or feel stuck, just ask yourself “What would this person do?